Picture-cabinet



(No Model.)

0. MESSERSHMITT.

PICTURE CABINET.

No. 551,984. Patented 1300.24, 1895.

/NVENTOH Q %'serd7uni'fi By M J' MM L v% A TTOHNE rs.

WITNESSES. 21. M

FFICE.

T ATENT OTTO MESSERSHMITT, 0F MILTVAUKEE, \VISOONSIN.

PICTURE-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,984, dated December 24, 1895.

Application filed April 12, 1895. Serial No. 545,607. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO MEssERsHMITr', of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Picture-Cabinet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved cabinet for containing and exhibiting photographs and other pictures.

The object of the invention is to provide a picture-holder in cabinet form which will be neat in design, artistic and handsome in appearance, and which will have sufficient capacity to hold and in a convenient manner be adapted for successive display of the separately-disposed pictures through an opening which may be sealed by doors that will prevent entrance of dust and thus preserve the pictures from injury.

The improvement is designed to supplant the ordinary picture-album, for which it is a superior substitute.

This invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is asectional side view of the cabinet, taken substantially through the center. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improvement, showing its doors in opened condition exposing some interior parts and pictures held thereon.

In Cc rrying into efiect the features of the invention a preferably cylindrical case 10 is provided, having a fixed bottom wall 1O and a secured top wall 10*, the diameter of the case and height between its parallel walls 10 10 being proportioned to comply with the requirements of its service as a picture holder. At a suitable distance above the bottom wall 10 one part of a two part partition-wall 11 is secured at its peripheral edge on the interior of the case 10, as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the other part of said partition being maintained in place by means hereinafter described. An opening is produced in the case 10, which is inwardly extended nearly to the center of the case, by the removal of a sectorshaped piece from the top wall 10 as represented in Fig. 3.

A vertical shaft 12 is provided, which has threaded engagement, as at 12, with a central threaded perforation in the bottom wall 10, the shaft passing through and neatly fit ting in central perforations in the top wall 10 and partition 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Two doors 13 are preferably provided for closing the opening in the case 10, the said doors having wings 13 extended at right angles thereto, and in service one wing rests on the top wall of the case while the other wing has an overlapping contact with the firstmentioned wing. The doors are curved to adapt them to conform with the outer surface of the case 10, and are loosely held in contact therewith by the shaft 12, that passes through aligned perforations in the wings 13, the said shaft having a knob-like engagement on its upper end, producing an annular collar or equivalent formation, which loosely contacts with the uppermost wing and thus retains the wings and-doors in position free to receive rotatable adjustment for opening or closing the aperture in the case.

At a correct distance from the center shaft 12 an annular slot 11 is produced in the partition-wall 11, which in effect separates the said wall into two parts, that are maintained in the same plane by providing a thick hub 14 on an arm 14, that has the said perforated hub loosely engaged with the portion of the shaft 12 that passes through the space in the case below the partition. This arrangement of parts will locate the arm 14 in the subchamber 15 of the case and adapt its hub to sustain the disk like central portion of the partition 11 level with the ring-like portion of the said partition, which is attached at its edge to the case, as before mentioned.

On the partition 11 and in the main chamber 15 a series of holder-blocks 16 are loosely seated, each block having a depending car 16 on its lower face in such relative position as will permit the ears on all the holderblocks to loosely project into and through the annular slot of the partition 11, as clearly shown in vFig. 1. In each block16 two 1011- gitudinal grooves are produced near the sides of the same. These grooves, which are formed by any preferred means, are designed to receive and support in an upright position two pictures on each block, one in each groove with the photographic picture or other delineation on each card or other stiff thin plate adjacent to the card on the nearest block. WVithin the sub-chamber 15 there is a lever 17 introduced, which has its inner end piv: oted to an upwardly-projectinglug 14 on the outer end of the arm 14, the said lever eX- tending through the door-opening of the case 10, and preferably has an enlargement 17 a formed on its outer end for convenient operation of the same. A toe 17 is formed on the lever 17 at a point which will permit it to contact with an ear 16 on the nearest holderblock 16, and to adapt the lever to have successive contact with the series of ears on the blocks named the lever is preferably rounded on the lower side, which will permit it to receive a half-revolution.

The number of holderblocks 1G and their lateral dimensions adapt two of said blocks at a time for exposure of a picture on each at each side of the opening in the case 10, as clearly represented in Figs. 2 and 3, Aindicating the photographic portraits or other pictorial representations that are contained in the cabinet for display at the door-opening.

The operation of the device for successive exposure of two pictures at a time along the sides of the door-aperturein the case is as follows: Assuming that the blocks 16 are normally disposed so that two of theholdereblocks and pictures thereon are located along the side edges of the door-aperture, and that the entire series of blocks having pictures on them are in loose contact with the two blocks aligned at their outer sides with the door-aperture, as mentioned, it will be seen that to bring into view the concealed picture on one of the blocks that is positioned at one side of the door-aperture say, on the right-hand side of the same, the operator moves the lever that has its toe in contact with the ear of the said block, so as to slide the latter until the lever contacts with the opposite or left-hand side of the casing, which will locate said block at the side of the aperture toward which the lever has been moved. It will be evident that pressure produced on the side of the block that pre viously aligned its face with the approached edge of the door-aperture by the impinge of the moved block will correspondingly actuate all the blocks of the series and bring into correct position the last block of the series, aligning the exposed picture on it with the opposite or right-hand side of the door-aperture. The toe is now elevated by a turn of the'lever 17 and has engagement with the depending ear it has just passed, so that the movement of the lever toward the left-hand side of the door-aperture will transfer the engaged block, along with the lever, to said side of the aperture which will expose the picture on it that has previously been concealed, and also bring into view the picture on the block simultaneously moved into position at the right-hand side of the door-aperture. WVhen the doors are moved toward each other, they will manifestly close the door-aperture and thus incase the pictures within the cabinet for their protection from injury. If desired, different pictures may he slid into the grooves of the holder-blocks to replace those it may be elected to remove. It will be apparent that there may be one door 13 substituted for the pair of doors, and that the sector-wing thereon may be of a width corresponding with that of the single door to entirely close the door-aperture.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a case having a central vertical shaft, a dooraperture, and a door pivoted to, swing on the said shaftand open or close said aperture, of a series of picture holding blocks within the case supported to swing around a common center and a lever connected with said central shaft to swing thereon and adapted to separately move said blocks, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a cylindrical case apertured at one side and on top, and a door adapted to close said aperture, of a series of tapered blocks having longitudinal grooves for holding pictures upright in the case, the said case being provided near its bottom with a horizontal partition wall having an annular groove, each; of the said blocks having a depending ear adapted to fit loosely in the said annular groove and a lever adapted by manipulation to successively engage and move the blocks across the door aperture, substantially as described.

- 3. The combination with a cylindrical case having an interior annularly grooved partition wall, parallel with and near to the bottom wall of said case, a door aperture in the case and a central vertical shaft, of doors curved to fit on the cylindric side of the case,

each door having a lateral wing pivoted on the shaft and one wing being lapped at its pivoted end on the other wing, a series .of blocks each grooved near its sides to receive picture cards and support them upright, a depending car on each holder block, an arm pivoted on the center shaft below the partition wall and adapted to support with its hub the central part of the partition wall, and a rocking lever pivoted on the end of the arm projecting out of the'case, and having a toe on one side which is adapted to successively engage with. the depending ears on the holder blocks, substantially as described.

4c. Thecombination with a case having a door aperture and provided near its bottom with a horizontal partition having an annular groove formed therein, of a series of picture holding blocks supported on the said platform, each block having a depending projection or ear loosely engaging said annular groove and projecting below the said partition, and a lever mounted to swing and also having a rocking movement, the said lever being arranged below the said partition and provided with a toe or projection adapted to [o successively engage the depending ears on the blocks, substantially as described.

, OTTO MESSERSHMITT. Vitnesses:

HENRY J. GIELENs, I-IERMANN WAGNER. 

